The Cartographers’ Guild is a forum created by and for map makers and aficionados, a place where every aspect of cartography can be admired, examined, learned, and discussed. Our membership consists of professional designers and artists, hobbyists, and amateurs—all are welcome to join and participate in the quest for cartographic skill and knowledge.

Although we specialize in maps of fictional realms, as commonly used in both novels and games (both tabletop and role-playing), many Guild members are also proficient in historical and contemporary maps. Likewise, we specialize in computer-assisted cartography (such as with GIMP, Adobe apps, Campaign Cartographer, Dundjinni, etc.), although many members here also have interest in maps drafted by hand.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ. You will have to register before you can post or view full size images in the forums.

Introducing Kimarnock's Ruhba -- Vandy's first CG Map

Well, after some deliberation, I am ready to open a WIP thread in which I will document the progress of the first map I will be making at the Cartographers' Guild.

For no apparent reason other than I like the name, the map is entitled Kimarnock's Ruhba (or, Headland).

I have hand-drawn the map and have attached a copy in this message. I'm a bit undecided as to the direction I want to go with this map. I was originally going to follow Pyrandon's Medieval City tutorial and may still. However, I am so taken by the various styles of maps I've seen here, I really am not sure how I wish to develop the map.

I will be on vacation from this Saturday through January 4th so I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to figure out how to deveop the map.

Thanks for your comments. I do appreciate them. I knew there was a Kilmarnock in Scottland (that is, after all, where i took the name.. ). However, I had no idea the terrain was so similar. Kinda freaky, huh?

PROGRESS ON KILMARNOCK'S RUHBA.

Well, I'm still not sure the direction in which I will go with this map but I do believe I need to at least "explore" Pyrandon's tutorial as regards to what I've drawn.

Attached below is the "latest mark-up" of the map as I envision it. The legend for the picture is as follows:

A couple of things I see right away is that I'll need to make the canvas a bit bigger in order to better "fit" the walls around the northeast and eastern edges of the map.

The overall "look and feel" just seems a bit crowded to me. Then again, I'm use to working on maps on a regional scale and not a city scale.

I'm very interested in your comments, thoughts, constructive critisicm on this mark-up. Feedback is very important to me and I don't want to go much further ahead without a "good feeling" I'm on the right track.

Vandy - You really can't go wrong following Pyrandon's tutorial. I think the mark up is fine for the early stage you are at. One thing you may want to add are "sketches" for forests and/or crops.

I look forward to seeing this progress *ready's red marker*

*Minor threadjack* - I would say between RobA's regional, Pyrandon's city, a couple of Ascension's, and bits & pieces of a couple of other tutorials is essentially where my "style" more or less evolved from. So stick with the tutorial(s) for the first couple of maps or so, then start trying and/or mixing different methods until you find the ones you ultimately are most comfortable with.

I was going to ask what kind of terrain was going to be between the two rivers, but your planning sketch answers that. I'd expect that the rivers would act as a moat--the older parts of the city would be there, with light walls along the riverbanks and stronger fortifications on the eastern part of the map. Bridges would probably also be fortified, and there might be forts further upriver to control ford points. You'd not see those on this map, of course, but you'd see the roads. There would also probably be a good deal of farmland between the rivers, where it would be better protected from an invader.

I'm So Frustrated!

Just wanted to post a quick note to update y'all on the progress (or, lack thereof) I've (not) made on my map.

I have tried six ways to Sunday to get this map off the planning stages and just haven't had any luck. Mind, it's not the tutorial -- it's me!

Finally, I decided to go with "what I know" and used the SC4Terraformer application to create my relief map. THAT map came out great but I am having such a difficult time in trying to get the bump map placed onto my hand-drawn planning map.

I am so frustrated, I'm seriously considering scrapping this map and simply releasing it as a SimCity 4 map instead.

The biggest reason I say this is that I've now had time to realy investigate this site and the great threads in it. I have found so many difrferent map styles I wish to try and I'm no longer convinced that Kimarnock's Ruhba is the map I wish to use to create a map using all of the wonderfu styles I've seen.

I know I don't need your "permission" to scrap this map but I would appreciate your comments.

By the way, here is a 2D and 3D view of Kimarnock's Ruhba from SC4Terraformer:

I have to say that I really like this bit of coastline, but I fully understand the difficulty in getting a new map "off the ground," so to speak. Especially city maps--they tend to be much more difficult for me than regional or world-scale maps.

Ooo, if I had this as SimCity map, I'd spend all of my money building bridges...for some reason some sick part of me always wants to build bridges. Nice map and I think it could certainly be developed into a town, but as previously stated, all of those buildings can get tiresome. Put it into Sim and play it for a while then screenshot it and call it done

If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
-J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)

Since you have the base contour done in the first post and now you have the color texture map to lay on top I think that your about 80% there if you wanted to go down this road.

If you need something to display it in 3D then I can give you this free. You just save two bitmaps of the same size, a 'color.bmp' and a 'height.bmp' in the same directory as the app and run it. You might find that this will be able to put your terraformer bump map and color map together too. If you have any trouble then post the height map and ill show you.

Kimarnock's Ruhba lives on!

PERSONAL REPLIES

==============================================

Midgardsormr - Thanks for your comments on the coastline of Kimarnock's Ruhba. I do enjoy hand-creating maps. I have come to realization that starting off attempting to create a city map has been a bit more than I thought it would be. However, I am not going to quit on this -- rather, I shall finish the map.

Redrobes - First of all, thank you so very much for your kind words and wonderful advice. I have saved out your references and certainly will use them in future projects. Thanks as well for your ViewingDale references. I've played a bit with the referenced utilities. They are pretty cool.

==============================================

UPDATE

-----------------------------------------------------------

Well, Folks, I want to let you know that for better or for worse, in sickness and in health....

< shuffle, shuffle >

Oh, CRAP! Wrong speech...

Seriously, though, I do want to let you know that I am not giving up on this map. I intend to "see it through" to a completed city map and we'll see how it goes. As a first project, I'll try and make all my "mistakes" on it and learn from them.

I have completed my land elevations and water levels and have posted my progress to date. My next step is to start laying down roads and building city walls.